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2013 08-16 SB Channel

Calm seas and a nice humpback whale.

Once again we took advantage of the extremely nice sea conditions along the mainland coast to find humpback whales and Minke whales. As is has been for a few weeks now, the day featured overcast skies and a sea surface that remained mill pond glassy smooth until we were well on our way back to the Harbor. There were spots of seabirds and common dolphins everywhere along this section we call the Flats. Although it is impossible to accurately count common dolphins, I would think 2,500+ is as good a non-scientific estimate as one can expect. As previously reported, the unusually high number of very tiny common dolphin calves continued again today.

Given the poor visibility, it took quite a while and quite a number of common dolphin encounters before Captain Dave finally spotted the lone humpback whale. The whale was busy feeding subsurface, but on one occasion it did some of that open mouth "nibbling" that this same whale has been known for over the last 6 or 7 days. This involves lifting its head, opening the mouth wide, showing all the world its wonderful baleen, then abruptly closing the mouth and ejecting water. This whale seems as proud of its baleen as a teenager is about its teeth, having just gotten its orthodontic appliances removed.

There were also several Minke whales in the area, perhaps 4 or 5, but they were not as "showy" as earlier this week.

All in all it was a very enjoyable trip.

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